Does no really mean no?

Before I answer that question, let me clarify. This is not some in-depth blog post about a person's right to say no or choices or anything else deep and thought provoking. Nope. This is simply the story of how I found my agent!

That's right! I have an agent!!!! <--- Can you tell how excited I am? 

I have signed with the wonderful Dawn Dowdle of The Blue Ridge Literary Agency. She is representing me for my series of romantic suspense books. 

Now, back to my question: Does no really mean no? Usually, yes. But in this particular situation, no. lol. Allow me to explain.

In December, I participated in the #pitchMAS pitch event. During that event, Dawn favorited my pitch on Twitter. So, I visited her website, did some preliminary research, and sent off my query on December 20th. According to the email reply I got stating she received my query, it would take two months for a response. And so the waiting began. I should add that other agents had requested as well, and the rejections were quickly rolling in, but still nothing from Mrs. Dowdle. 

Then, on January 31st, I got a response. She rejected. What a hell of a way to start the new year, huh? 

As much as it sucked, I didn't let it get me down. I revamped my query, revised my novel (again), and geared up for #PitMad, which was taking place on January 8th. The day of the event arrived, and I was ready to go. My pitches were pre-scheduled throughout the day, and I have a positive attitude. I'm happy to say that the requests started to trickle in. I was excited. 

But then Mrs. Dowdle requested. Again. 

I was shocked and confused, unsure what to do. Typically during this kind of event, if an agent or editor requests something they've already requested, they state to take the second request as a compliment but not to send another query. However, there was no such statement anywhere on her website or Twitter feed. Ignoring her request seemed rude. Tweeting directly to her seemed unprofessional. And I couldn't send her a direct message because she didn't follow me on Twitter. So I did what I always do when faced with a difficult decision -- I turned to my fellow author friends. 

The consensus: Send another query with a little note letting her know she's already seen and rejected my manuscript. So, that's what I did. Do I recommend everyone do this? No. I took a risk doing this, and I knew that, but I figured because of the unique situation of Twitter pitch parties and that she'd already rejected me, what harm could come from it? All she could do was tell me no again, right? 

The second query was sent to her on January 8th. On January 9th I received a reply stating because she'd requested again, she'd reconsider. Now, I seriously thought she was just being polite, but it was nice nonetheless. 

Then, a few weeks later, I got an email from her stating she'd like to set up a time to speak on the phone. So, we did, and now she's my agent!!! 

Overall, I'm thrilled with my decision to sign with Dawn, and I have the utmost confidence in her ability to sell my book(s). And I owe a HUGE THANK YOU to every single person who hosted these contests, retweeted my pitches, offered encouraging words, and supported me in this crazy, wild, emotional endeavor. I wouldn't be here without all of your help :-)

How To Find a (Reputable) Publisher

So, you've taken the time and done the easy part: you've written your book. Okay, so the actual writing of the book isn't all that easy, but it's definitely easier than what comes next: finding someone to publish it for you.

With the recent popularity of epublishing, publishers are a dime a dozen. Good for you, right? Not necessarily. It's very easy for anyone to open a publishing house nowadays and not all of them are on the up-and-up. So, how do you find a publisher who is reputable? The answer is different for everyone, but below are the steps I use when I'm searching for a good, reputable, publisher.

1. In order to research a publisher you have to first find a publisher. The two sites I always use are Duotrope and Writers Market. These sites allow you to search for publishers in your specific genre. Make a list of those you're interested in.

2. Once I have my list, the first place I start researching is Preditors & Editors and Absolute Write. They are both free sites that offer advice and insight into various publishers. I ALWAYS check these two sites BEFORE I submit anything to a publisher.

3. If your chosen publishers has a clean track record with Preditors & Editors and Absolute Write then it's time to start looking at said publishers website. Look at everything. Click through every page they have available. If there are a lot of broken links then you might want to think twice about sending them your work. If there are a ton of authors who've only ever published one book with the publisher then it's a good possibility the publisher is an author mill and you want to avoid those. If the publisher has a sample contract available--READ IT! You don't want to waste your time formatting and submitting to a publisher if their contract is one that you're not comfortable signing. Also take some time to study the book covers. Do you like them? Would you be proud to have your name on a book with a cover similar to the ones they provide?

4. Another thing I always do is look at their current published authors. I randomly pick four or five, look them up and then email them. I introduce myself, explain that I'm considering publishing with XYZ Publishing, and ask if they'd be willing to tell me about their experiences with said publisher. You'd be surprised at how helpful this can be. This is probably the best source of honest information you'll get about a publisher. A fellow author will be able to tell you things that you can't find out otherwise--things such as how it is dealing with the editing staff or if royalties are paid on time.

5. So now that you've found some publishers you like, it's time to start submitting. Be sure to read all their submission guidelines very carefully and follow them to the letter. Failing to do so will most likely result in an automatic rejection.

6. Wait for a response.

7. Wait a little bit longer.

8. Yay! You've gotten a response. It's a rejection. Yell. Scream. Call a friend and bitch until your heart is content then file it away and wait some more. Chances are you'll get several more of these. It's the nature of the business, but don't lose hope.

9. Woo hoo! Another response. Congratulations! You've been offered a contract. Take some time, jump around. Yell. Scream. Dance. Tell everyone you've ever known that you're going to be a published author. Now calm down. It's time to do some more research.

That's right. Just because you have a contract offer doesn't mean you're done. In fact, you're just beginning. Again. Believe me, I know how tempting it is to just sign that contract and send it right back, but doing so could be detrimental to you.

10. The acceptance email you just received will usually contain the contract, a pre-editing or formatting checklist, pertinent information about the publisher, a book information and/or cover art form. Take the time and read each one of them carefully.

Start with the contract. Read it line by line. If you don't understand something, ask. If there's something missing that you feel should be included, ask. If there's something included that doesn't sit well with you, ask. Ask! Ask! Ask! If you don't understand it--don't sign it! Sit down and compose an email asking every single question you have. Then send that email. Keep the contract safely in your inbox and wait for a response. If after you get answers you're still unclear, send another email asking more questions. Pay close attention to not only the answer you're given, but how long it took you to get them.

REAL LIFE EXAMPLE: I received an email stating one of my manuscripts had been accepted by a publisher (who shall remain nameless) and that I should be on the look-out for the contract in a separate email. It took a full two weeks for them to send me the contract. That alone was enough to irritate me, but when I read the contract and sent them an email full of questions, I never received a response. Ever. Needless to say, I politely declined their contract offer.

11. Time to move on to the pre-editing/formatting checklist. Most times it specifies font style, size, margins, quotations, em dashes, etc. However, many publishers have certain things they prefer--such as using "as if" instead of "like" or saying "my gaze followed her" as opposed to "my eyes followed her." Pay careful attention to how they want you to do things.

REAL LIFE EXAMPLE: I received a pre-edit checklist in which the publisher wanted me to remove all complex sentences, semi-colons, and em-dashes. I stopped reading at that point and politely declined the contract offer. I refuse to "dumb down" my work for anyone.

I'm not going to lie. It's a lot of work, but in the end when you find that publisher who's just as passionate about your work as you are, it'll all be worth it.

Do you have any tips or stories about your search for a publisher?